


Tempered by Blood

by Wolf_With_A_Mane



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Adoption, Angst, Fire Nation Lore (Avatar), Fire Nation Royal Family, Firebending & Firebenders, Gen, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Worldbuilding, Zuko (Avatar)-centric, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:54:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26433733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolf_With_A_Mane/pseuds/Wolf_With_A_Mane
Summary: Everyone thinks young Zuko is a nonbender.Ozai doesn't think Zuko is his son.The Fire Nation frequently engages in line adoptions, especially for bending children born to nonbending  parents and vice versa.Zuko is given a new family, but his drama doesn't end there. Not even close. The Spirits have something in mind for him.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 70





	Tempered by Blood

**Author's Note:**

> Ha ha, I finally finished my outline. Real work and updates will start in December. Thanks to everyone who viewer and commented on my idea post. I am still getting used to the format of this site so bear with me.  
> Here is a preview.

Azulon was a principled man. He grew up watching his father bring prosperity to the Fire Nation and expand the rule of Caldera City to all the Fire Islands, even those that had long resisted the rule of a united nation. Azulon liked to think he continued spreading the prosperity of the Fire Nation to new colonies but he always wondered if his father's way of removing the Avatar problem brought more conflict than it solved. 

Azulon by no means regretted conquering new villages and cities, he just wondered if maybe they would have gladly joined if they weren't so afraid of decimation. Of course, Azulon kept these thoughts to himself, it wouldn't do for his generals to question his resolve. But he did try to govern the new colonies with the same grace he did the home islands. That is, until he started giving his sons more responsibility in the governing process. 

Iroh was a powerful general. Immense progress was made in fortifying the colonies and expanding Fire Nation rule under his military leadership. And the soldiers loved him. Azulon only hopped Ozai could handle the machinations of court for Iroh since there would be no Fire Lady in the next rule. Ozai was good at politics. 

A frown marred Azulon's face at the last thought. 

The chair of his office was digging into his sides and he needed to stretch his aging muscles. But first the matter of his second son must be sorted out. 

Ozai had come to him with concerns this morning and Azulon had been avoiding them all day, but now that Agni had left the sky it was time to make a decision. 

His son had kept suspicions that his wife was unfaithful to himself for six years. Six years where inquiries could have been made, the truth sought out, and possible scandal avoided. His son had waited until 6 years had passed to suggest that Zuko was not of royal blood. 

If these concerns were addressed as soon as Lady Ursa showed signs of pregnancy, an admittedly early pregnancy for their new marriage, then rites could have been performed in secret to ensure the child born would be of royal blood. If these concerns were addressed when Zuko was an infant or toddler who greatly resembled his mother, then a blood adoption could have been done to purge the father and replace his influence with Ozai's. 

But no, Ozai had to wait to bring all the evidence to him until Zuko failed to bend fire or even emit sparks by his sixth birthday. The man who Ozai believes to be Zuko's father is dead, killed in a hurricane. Now it is impossible to replace the paternal lineage of Zuko. Or, not impossible, not able to be done without removing Ursa as the maternal lineage and that would defeat the whole point of marrying Ursa to Ozai in the first place. But it does seem likely that Zuko is not of Sozin's blood, only of Roku's. Azula has already started producing strong, controlled flames at age four. 

A nagging feeling in the back of Azulon's mind reminds him that Zuko bears none of the key traits of that Ember Island actor. He has gold eyes, not brown. He has fair skin, not tanned. His face is delicate, not square. No. Azulon forces himself to remember that all the traits Zuko shows are shared with Ursa. It could be that Zuko inherited the maternal lineage strongly, it could have nothing to do with those traits also resembling Ozai. In fact, the only way to know for sure is.... 

The candle emits a sharp snap to signal that another degree has passed. Not that Azulon would lose track of the position of Agni just because it is night. 

A yawn forces itself upon him and he shakes his head. Iroh is his heir and Lu Ten Iroh's heir, so the lineage of the throne is secure. If Ozai wants to disown Zuko and claim Azula as his first heir then it is his foolish decision to do so. Azulon will make sure the court knows the decision to foster Zuko out of the line if succession was made by Ozai and Ozai alone. 

That settled, Azulon pushed the matter out of mind and reached for the new factory construction proposal.


End file.
